Cidrines bread, pastry footprint covers 500 U.S. stores

Cidrines has long been a familiar favorite of Puerto Ricans on the island and is now expanding the widespread appeal of its “pan sobao” to stateside consumers.

Puerto Rican artisan wholesale bakery Cidrines announced Wednesday a significant expansion of its stateside reach through the delivery of its fresh pastries and breads to more than 500 stores across the Florida market.

Cidrines breads are currently available in grocery and retail stores, including Walmart, Winn-Dixie, and neighborhood supermarkets in Florida in the first phase of its national expansion. Furthermore, 13 South Florida Sam’s Clubs now carry fresh baked Cidrines pastries packaged in blue and yellow boxes.

Cidrines has long been a familiar favorite of Puerto Ricans on the island and is now expanding the widespread appeal of its “pan sobao” (sweet bread) and “criollo” bread to Boricuas residing stateside, as well as mainstream and Hispanic consumers, the company said.

“We are very excited about the early feedback we are already receiving from our retailers and customers about our delicious products,” Cidrines CEO Jaime Fortuño said.

“We invite our customers to enjoy our tasty breads and pastries, our Latino heritage and culture of breaking bread with family and the new niche in ethnic breads. This is the new trend in ethnic breads for all to enjoy,” he added.

Since entering the U.S. market, Cidrines has garnered “huge mainstream consumer interest in the bread and pastry products, far beyond the traditional core of our Puerto Rican consumers,” Fortuño said, of the latest milestone for the company established in Puerto Rico in 1978.

Following its successful run in Florida, the company plans to continue national expansion to new cities, particularly cross-cultural markets such as New York, Houston, Philadelphia and Chicago.

“We are already seeing a burgeoning demand for our ‘pan sobao’ and pastries in additional markets in and outside of Florida through our social media campaign, where we are seeing extraordinary consumer engagement,” said Christine Sepulveda, Cidrines’ vice president of sales for the U.S. market.